No, really--those packages of ramen noodles you have lying around your pantry will come in handy with this spicy, vegetarian-friendly dish

Welcome to Meatless Monday, a column in which we feature vegetarian recipes to help offset the weekend's carnivorous sins.

(Credit: Christina Holmes)

We've told you how to upgrade your instant ramen before. The curly, springy noodles are just begging to be hit with miso, garlic, and ginger or tossed with ground pork and served in a real, rich broth (no powder packets here!) Now, we're ditching the soup and serving those noodles cold with Sichuan pepper, fried scallions, tahini, and turnip. The chilly noodles paired with the buzzingly spicy pepper are refreshing and sweat-inducing at the same time. Pretty cool, especially for such a quick (and easy) vegetarian dinner.